With 35 victories for 7 defeats, the Thunder is still the best team in the NBA this season, with a clear lead over the competition (4.5 victories over Detroit). However, having started with 24 successes in 25 matches, the domination of the reigning champions lost a little of its historic dimension, after an average sequence of three weeks.
Between December 13, 2025 and January 5, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates will post a record of 6-6, including three defeats against the Spurs. Everything has been better since then, with five successes in a row, so we can argue the slack thesis.
“We almost got too comfortable, beating our opponents and thinking we would win systematically”recognizes Jalen Williams. “We did not show humility, modesty in the way we approached the matches that we won. »
“No team is competitively perfect, or in any way, for 82 matches »
It must be said that, when you win 68 matches last season, then the title at the end of the playoffs, and 24 out of 25 at the start of the following season, you are on a cloud that you have to leave at one point or another. And above all, regular season matches no longer have the same flavor when we played and won a Game 7 of the Finals.
“Playing at such a high level and playing such important matches, and being so ready and yet so far from your childhood dream, it’s very difficult to understand when you haven’t lived it”“SGA” insists. “There are emotions, confusion and everything that goes with it. The perspective is different when you have won a title. It’s like having a child: you don’t know what it’s like until you have one. »
Finally, we can even say that a short month of gap since the start of last season is almost not much. In any case, not enough to panic.
“One of the characteristics of this team is that it is always or almost ready to play when the jump ball arrives,” remarks a Mark Daigneault reassured about the intensity of his group. “No team is competitively perfect, or in any way, for 82 matches. But this team has, for years now, done a remarkable job of being there most of the time, and it must continue. »
Unlike some teams, the Thunder have never or almost never missed a major meeting. Yes, there are defeats, it’s mechanical, but rarely failed copies with a blatant lack of intensity. “We are aware that in big matches, when it really counts, this is what allows us to overcome the obstacle”concludes the 2025 MVP.
